The Farrier's Daughter Gives Back~Toadally Tutus

Have you ever read the book Languages of Love?

Ok, well neither have I...but from what I hear, the author points out that there are five basics forms of love. Once you have figured out your style, and that of your spouses, you are supposed to have a better understanding of each other. Someone once gave me a quiz out of the book (I'm a sucker for quizzes! I don't really believe in them, but let's face it, they are fun. You remember taking the quizzes in the Teen Bob Magazines in Junior High...I miss those days). Any who, I didn't think the results were super accurate for me, but I've never really been all that successful at fitting into a box :-) 

Wanna take it yourself?

Check it out here.

I give love via gifts.

Not materialistic things. I like to find, or make meaningful gifts (the quiz didn't tell me this-I just know me).

Which makes perfectly good sense since I've become so enthusiastic about Toadally Tutus.

 I like to get love via quality time.

Which is also great, because my daughters and I have spent many hours working together on this Children's Charity.

We just wrapped up our first season of giving and I am so excited to share!

(That's my oldest in the pictures above...she is such a great helper! The youngest helped by providing entertainment-you can see for yourself in the videos below)

At the Tutu Making Clinics, we hand out tags to all of the participants, and invite them to write messages for the little girls receiving the donated tutus. The sweet, scribbled notes are enough to melt your heart.

We (my hubby, kids and I), loaded up 20 tutus today in a variety of sizes and colors and headed up to Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital.

We were greeted at the door with a very warm welcome, and rolled our loot inside.

The amount of fluff and vibrant hues were stopping men and women alike. 

So many thanks were given, and while we didn't get to actually see the little girls receive them, I know in my heart it will bring some smiles this Christmas!

It meant so much to me that the hospital worker we were in contact with took the time to tell my daughter thank you, and explain what a good thing she was doing. 

Ok, now for the entertainment...the future class clown will demonstrate an alternate activity with a tutu waistband (aka- undy wear).

And a little more silliness for your viewing pleasure...

Recipe Roundup~3 Cheese Breakfast Bake

For our family, the holiday season is one that is full of get-togethers and travel. With all of the attention on the holiday meals (which tend to be dinners), I like to have a good breakfast/brunch recipe on hand for overnight guests. It would also be great to prep ahead of time and take along for overnight stays away from home. What a better way to say thanks to your hostess than to take the guesswork out of breakfast the next morning!

I wanted to share my most favorite and most popular breakfast dish...

The 3 Cheese Breakfast Bake.

Below are 4x6 printable recipe cards for you.

Both recipes are the same, I just wanted to include a less colorful version for those "ink-conscience" readers out there :-) 

Please feel free to click on the images for printable versions.

Here is a photo of the finished product...isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but it ranks up there with the tastiest!

I like to prep this the night before and let it chill in the refrigerator over night. It also makes mornings less hectic when I have a house full.

I don't have a linky tool ready for this, but would love to know if you have any favorite recipes. If so, leave them in the comments to share with Blogland!

Versatile Blogger Award-Yeehaw!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Blogland?

It's like it's own little world where you can easily find and connect with people of like interests.

Just recently, I met (always feel weird saying met, when it's not in person) Shannon from Espee Trading Co.

She is super sweet, and awarded me with The Versatile Blogger Award!

Not only does Shannon love to sew, she loves a farrier!

See, even though you may have never heard the word...

They Exist!

As a funny little side note, I will share with you that I am also a the farrier's sister.

Noooooo, my mother did not reproduce with my brother, also making him my dad...that would be sick, and wrong on soooo many levels. 

I am one of four children, and one of my brothers went to school to become a farrier and now does it as a side job. Whenever I ask him to weld something for me, he teases that he will not help in any way until I rename my business....

The Farrier's Sister

It doesn't have quite the same ring to it, nor does it play off of the farmer's daughter...which is where my real business name came from. Well, that and the fact that my Dad is a farrier.

You can read some of his guest posts here and here.

Ok, so now for the fun part. 

As part of the award, I am supposed to share 7 things about myself. 

1.)  I'm a list maker. The funny thing is that I rarely look at the lists I make once I have finished them. When my husband teases me about it, I remind him that it is the act of making the list that helps me remember and organize my thoughts :-) 

2.)  I am married to a Police Officer, SWAT team member, wonderful father, supportive husband, extremely handsome, highly intelligent man who I am VERY proud of....did I mention he is not too bad on the eyes?!?! 

3.)  As a young girl, I had a cow for a best friend. I bottle raised him from the time he was just a calf. One time, I brought him inside my parents' day-light basement...it was just the once, because my mom caught me (which is actually a story I will need to share someday).

4.)  My husband and I remodeled rebuilt a 100 year old farmhouse. It was 103 when we finally moved in. You can see read more about it here.

5.)  I have a fear of driving on bridges over water. No joke, my heart pounds, and if I don't remind myself to breathe, I catch myself holding my breath.

6.)  In high school, I broke and held the girls bench press record.

7.) I have been a procrastinator since at least the third grade. It was then that my teacher told me so. After he let me in on this revelation, he asked me if I knew what that meant...I didn't at the time. Unfortunately, he was right. Thanks Mr. Graham!

The next part of the Award is to Pass it On!

Christine Marie Studio

A beautiful woman, making beautiful jewelry!

Modern Prairie Girl

Laura Blair is an amaaaazing photographer, cowgirl and mama!

Teresa Sheeley

I have been lucky enough to meet Teresa in person, and she is a gem! 

(she too has a farrier in the family)

The Fancy Farmgirl

Tiffany is another cowgirl that I am happy to have met in person. 

She too is a fabulous photographer with kindness that exudes her.

Auntie's

Joy is one of those gals whose name fits her to a T!

She is a joy to be around, and has been making some must-have jewelry.

The Strawberry Patch

Miss Christy Donoho is a great example of the friendships that can be made via blogging.

Though miles apart, we have formed a friendship that is very special to me.

Christy is in the Junkin' business, and puts on barn sales with a colorful twist that is sooo refreshing!

Blackberry Farm

Kimberly Taylor (you may recognize her as Mimi Charmante), has a blog full of eye candy, thanks to her superb photography! The best part is that she is just as sweet as all of that eye candy!

A note to the award recipients:  Pick up the award graphic and place it in your post.  

Pass it on to 15 more bloggers(make sure to go tell them) and tell us 7 things about yourself!

Small Business Experiences-The Early Days

Going from stay-at-home-mom to, "I want to start my own business" was a life changing event for me. I had earned a BS in Social Science, and Psychology, and worked as a counselor to kids with mental illness, and was, at the time, learning the ropes of motherhood with my first daughter along for the ride. I had always had a creative edge (I even started off as an Art major in college), but had never thought of turning my passion for design into a business. My other love has always been children, but I had never thought further than combining the two...teaching art, or art therapy!

Since my decision to become a momtrepreneur, I have realized that a lot of what you need to know can quickly be learned from experience. That said, if you can learn from others' experiences...even better! Which is why I have decided to begin posting some of my own experiences. I have also found that it is scary to start your own business, to put yourself out there. It is especially scary when you are going into a business that is a somewhat unique.

When I started out, I wanted to refinish sand, paint, and distress furniture. I saw the prices on pieces in the local vintage shops, and loved the idea that I could get a piece of furniture for cheap, work my wonders on it, and sell it for a profit....the best part-the buyer was getting a good deal too! The furniture at vintage shops are not only cheaper than buying new furniture, they are typically higher quality than a lot of the press-board stuff out there these days. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information out there on the shabby chic furniture business. If I wanted to do this, I was going to have to figure it out on my own.

I started by visiting the local library and some book stores. What I found was a lot of information on how most people start a business. The problem here, is that I am not like most people. I am lucky enough to have a family of entrepreneurs, that have taught me some very basic, but very valuable lessons. My grandparents owned a successful tole painting shop out of the first floor of their 3 story home for many years. Their business model was much more simple than anything proposed in the pages of any Business books out there these days, but believe it or not...it worked!

It went a little something like this...you save your money until you have enough to buy something. Once you have made a profit, you pay yourself back, put some into savings, and some gets reinvested in the company ie. another purchase for the business. You build slowly, with patience, and only borrow what you can pay back at the end of the month. By doing this, my grandparents grew their business to be a successful one. It employed and supported both of them, and at times, a few others as well. They stressed the importance of minimizing overhead, which I believe to be another key factor in their success. All of these are things that I have attempted to mimic in my own adventures.

My first realization: 

Just because the literature out there repetitively tells you that you need a formal business plan, and a hefty bank loan, does not mean it is the only way or the right way.

All the Pretty Horses-My take on Equine Art

In looking for a piece of equine art for my own home, I learned a few things....

1. You need to first establish exactly where the piece will be on display.

2. You need to understand horses in order to appreciate good horse art.

and

3. Good equine art is hard to come by.

While scouring the internet ok just etsy, I found a handful of extremely talented artists, and I wanted to share their work. If you are looking for a piece to help set a certain mood in your space, I would strongly suggest perusing Carol Walker's etsy shop, Wild Hoofbeats.

 In my opinion, Carol gets horses.

What do I mean by that?

Well, take a look at these photographs and then go out and compare them to some other equine photographer's work. In the photo above, the horse is not just staring blankly at an open field...that's boring and doesn't evoke any feelings. If I had to guess, I would say that this horse was interrupted by a startling sound and quickly jerked it's head over it's front shoulder to investigate. It stood alert, quiet, and waiting for another sound or movement before it went on about it's business.

 As I poured over the endless pages of equine art, I found that there were a few things that made for what I call, "good horse art". While not crucial, I like to see movement. The photo above doesn't exactly have movement; however, the way the horse's forelock (hair in between it's ears) is awry, leads me to believe it just stopped running and possibly tossing it's head about like in the photo below.

In this shot, the horse itself is not all that attractive to me. 

The angle of it's head makes it appear to have a very narrow muzzle.

What I love about it though, is that the horses hair shows the force of the animal.

The muscles in the chest are flexed and this horse is probably snorting and kicking up it's heals!

This shot of a wild stallion is one of my favorites!

This feisty equine appears to have come to such an abrupt stop that it's hair was still in motion when the shutter was pressed. It's almost as if he was caught being naughty and stopped as soon as he noticed he was being watched...carefully looking at the photographer out of the corner of his eye.

Another great action shot!

The one above is another example of something I tend to look for...

See how the crest (top of the neck) is arched?

To me, this says power, and royalty.

I wasn't sure that photography was right for the location I was hoping to put my own equine art, so I continued my search. Luckily I was able to find a lot of other artists with horse pieces on etsy as well. The piece above is mixed media and I LOVE it!

The colors go well with the grey, white and black in my home. The mixed media elements give a modern twist to the somewhat classical shape of the horse, and the unique shape of the head offer a whimsical touch.

(also note the strong arch of the neck-perfection)

This piece can be found here.

While not right for my space, I do appreciate the beauty in the simplicity of the piece above.

Strong and soft at the same time make it intriguing.

The next four I am sharing because of their color value.

This is where it helps to know exactly where you want your new artwork to be in your home/office. 

 image here

 image here

 image here

image here

 I leave you with one of my favorite finds of the night.

Colorful Horse

A stunning watercolor piece that just so happens to be done by a local gentleman! 

Such a small world...honestly, this guy probably lives less than an hour away!

Lindsey's Leather Lovin' & a Birthday

I have a thing for leather.

It's timeless, smells good, natural, durable and timeless...

What's not to love?

I recently found out about Emily Rosendahl.

She has a beautiful line of leather goods that make me drool!

 If only I had known about her when I was still lugging a diaper bag around, I would have definitely sported the one shown above. It's so cute, that I've even played with the idea of having another baby so that I have an excuse to buy it!

Check her out online: 

Emily Rosendahl Leather Goods

The pouch above is by Lovejoycreations

Not only is it attractive with it's antiqued leather and turquoise accents, it is a steal at only $24!

Another etsy find is by Moxie & Oliver.

This seller has a ton of super cute leather goods.

These leather cuffs are by Lipstick Gypsy and they are wonderful!

I had the pleasure of meeting Robin at The Farm Chicks show last year, and she is the kindest woman around. You've got to check out her etsy shop!

This very special birthday morning has gotten off to a wonderful start (I'm choosing to ignore the fact that as I type this, my oldest daughter spilled milk on the carpet in the bonus room). I am also looking past the fact that even though I am not a morning person, and woke up to my youngest yelling from her crib, at the top of her lungs, "Mama, Mama, I go potty!"

What I did get, was to snuggle my baby in bed for few minutes of pure bliss.

I then got to reheat a cup of yesterday's coffee (yes, fresh is best, but I'm being positive here) and savor a bite of chocolate fudge. Mmmmm!

Birthdays are special to me.

I believe they should be celebrated.

After all, we never know just how many we will get.

I'm thankful for mine, and all of the people who celebrate it with me.

Some people dread a Birthday, see it as a reminder of getting older...

That blows my mind!

Come on folks, if we aren't getting older, we are dead, and being dead is much less fun!

Today I am 31 years young, and will claim every single one of those years with pride. 

Each one has been part of the recipe that  has made me who I am today. 

I am...

a strong woman.

a proud mother.

determined.

happily married.

creative.

adventurous.

messy.

spontaneous.

happy.

thankful.

family oriented.

grateful.

a lover of the past.

excited about the future.

a private person.

honest.

healthy.

blessed.

addicted to coffee.

a fabric hoarder.

vertically challenged.

loving.

a farm girl.

family oriented.

a dreamer.

31.

Lindsey Brooke Frankus.

Ok, so I probably missed some descriptive words, but these are the first ones that came to mind. 

Wishing everyone a Happy Wednesday!

On the Eleventh and Twelfth Day of Christmas...

Eeek!

A great big heartfelt apology to anyone looking for the deal of the day yesterday!

We had some very special friends in town, and I spent the day in my pj's baking Christmas treats!

To make up for my mistake, I am combining yesterday and today's deals and making any flask in the

Shop 

30% Off

Use the discount code CHRISTMAS at checkout to receive your discount.



On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

On the tenth day of Christmas, The Farrier's Daughter gave to me,

25% Off

(Grey & Yellow Ruffles Cowgirl Canteen™)

This offer is good only on today's featured flask.

Offer begins at 12:00am December 10th and ends at 12am December 11th.

Purchases can be made in the Shop

Use the discount code SALEDAY10 at checkout to redeem.

Not sure this one is just right for that special lady (or yourself)?

Check back daily, as there are 2 more days of deals!

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...

On the ninth day of Christmas, The Farrier's Daughter gave to me,

25% Off

(Coral Lace Cowgirl Canteen™)

This offer is good only on today's featured flask.

Offer begins at 12:00am December 9th and ends at 12am December 10th.

Purchases can be made in the Shop

Use the discount code SALEDAY9 at checkout to redeem.

Not sure this one is just right for that special lady (or yourself)?

Check back daily, as there are 3 more days of deals!

On the Eighth Day of Christmas...

On the eighth day of Christmas, The Farrier's Daughter gave to me...

25% Off

(Grey & Coral Floral Cowgirl Canteen™)

This offer is good only on today's featured flask.

Offer begins at 12:00am December 8th and ends at 12am December 9th.

Purchases can be made in the Shop

Use the discount code SALEDAY8 at checkout to redeem.

Not sure this one is just right for that special lady (or yourself)?

Check back daily, as there are 4 more days of deals!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

On the seventh day of Christmas, The Farrier's Daughter gave to me...

 25% Off

(Mustard & Aqua Cowgirl Canteen™)

This offer is good only on today's featured flask.

Offer begins at 12:00am December 7th and ends at 12am December 8th.

Purchases can be made in the Shop

Use the discount code SALEDAY7 at checkout to redeem.

Not sure this one is just right for that special lady (or yourself)?

Check back daily, as there are 5 more days of deals!

Today I'm linkin up with Lindsey over at The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday!

 Tuesday was spent dropping Raegen off at school, and then shopping with Reese.

Dress: Macy's (wish this picture showed the detail and all of the wonderful ruffles-love them)

Black tank under dress: TJ Maxx

Black leggings: TJ Maxx (Yes, I'm a Maxanista)

Boots: Macy's (again, I wish the photo showed detail on the boots-they lace up the back, but only at the top, and they have buckles!)

Silver Heart Necklace: A gift for my Birthday

Ok, so I feel that this outfit needs a little explaining...

This was the Saturday of Toadally Tutu's second Tutu Making Clinic!

It was an amazing day, that deserves a post all to itself.

Top: Ross Dress for Less (added the Toadally Tutu logo)

Big Girl Tutu: Toadally Tutus

Tights: Ross Dress for Less

Leg Warmers: Payless Shoes

Silver High Heels: Nordstrom

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...

A Giveaway is in the works!
"Like" us on Facebook, then share the link on your wall and be entered to win a free Cowgirl Canteen of your choice at the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas Sale!


On the sixth day of Christmas, The Farrier's Daughter gave to me...

25% Off

(Aqua Lace Cowgirl Canteen™)

This is one of my personal favorites! If I were a saloon girl back in the day, this is what my bloomers would have looked like!

This offer is good only on today's featured flask.

Offer begins at 12:00am December 6th and ends at 12am December 67h.

Purchases can be made in the Shop

Use the discount code SALEDAY6 at checkout to redeem.

Not sure this one is just right for that special lady (or yourself)?

Check back daily, as there are 6 more days of deals!

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

Wow!

This sale has forced me to blog every day, and I must admit, I love it!

 There have been busy days, and tired nights that I would typically let get in the way of posting, but this has held me accountable. It's great!

Before I get back to the sale though, I wanted share link. Today's Creative Blog has put together a Creative Holiday Gift Guide that features small, mommy owned businesses...

And get this...The Farrier's Daughter is on the list!

Yeehaw! Thanks Kim!

So head on over and check out all of the other amazing women and their creations.

Happy Shopping!

Ok, so where were we?

Oh yes, uh uhm...

On the fifth day of Christmas, The Farrier's Daughter gave to me...

25% Off

(Hippie Chick Cowgirl Canteen™)

This offer is good only on today's featured flask.

Offer begins at 12:00am December 5th and ends at 12am December 6th.

Purchases can be made in the Shop

Use the discount code SALEDAY5 at checkout to redeem.

Not sure this one is just right for that special lady (or yourself)?

Check back daily, as there are 7 more days of deals!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

On the fourth day of Christmas, The Farrier's Daughter gave to me...

25% Off

(Pink & Brown Cowgirl Canteen™)

This offer is good only on today's featured flask.

Offer begins at 12:00am December 4nd and ends at 12am December 5th.

Purchases can be made in the Shop

Use the discount code SALEDAY4 at checkout to redeem.

Not sure this one is just right for that special lady (or yourself)?

Check back daily, as there are  8 more days of deals!

Ok, now for those pictures I promised...

And yes, the star is super crooked...kinda matches the tree aye?

No worries...that is my motto this Christmas!

With a puppy, cat, and two small children, the tree is always a mess around the lower third.

I've decided to embrace it, and chose to decorate the lower portion with non-breakable ornaments...most of which are Dollar Tree ornaments!

 To mix in my love of vintage, and pretty up the base of the tree, we plopped the ordinary (and very ugly) tree stand in one of my old galvanized tubs.

Eventually, I will pull out some burlap and ruffle it around the base in place of the traditional tree skirt.

 

 Plain vases get a sprig of red berries to transform them from everyday decor to a simple festive display.

Tis the season for wood burning fires, and oh how I love a good fire.

This old wooden supply box comes in handy for holding firewood and newspaper.

I kept the mantle simple this year, the antique wooden drying rack came from a century farm estate sale, the tin star was a bargain at Goodwill, and the santa, reindeer and pipe-cleaner tree were all on clearance at TJ Maxx after Christmas last year.

This coat hanger (made from barnboard, salvaged trim, and old door knobs) hangs in our extra-wide hallway. One of my favorite Christmas items is this plush Santa.

He is a Woof & Poof brand and plays the sweetest Christmas song.

Take a good look at this nutcracker and tell me what you think my husband does for a living!

Haha, it's almost certain that every police officer out there has received one of these over the years.

We love him...broken pieces and all.

Last, some close ups of different ornaments on our tree.

I try to have a good mix of very fancy, good quality ornaments and throw in some bargains as well. Last year I started tearing white strips of cotton fabric to hang my ornaments instead of the cheap, and very frustrating bendable ones. I love the mix of torn cotton with fancy ornaments!

My hubby and kids say our tree is pretty, but boring...so this year I added in the aqua and shades of blue. I found some vintage glass balls at Goodwill, and fell in love with them immediately. The blue is beginning to come off and reveal the silver underneath and it is perfection!

I'm Linking Up with Where Women Createhttp://www.wherewomencreate.com/?p=6374